OOOPS!

Oh boy.

I promised that I would post so much more often. It hasn't happened.
How embarrassing.

I have composed a few posts that I didn't publish, but they don't count. So I will attempt to fill you in on what is going on. My friend Val told me that it doesn't have to be perfect to post, I just need to do it. She is right. I just need to post without trying to get it just so each time. That will take the pressure off.

Good news tidbit #1: Marc got a job, and another job!
Okay, so that no one is confused, no he didn't already have one. He has a paid internship with the USU extension, but once the funds are gone, he is done. Ever since we moved down here, he has been trying to find something that will add to his internship hours and will carry on when he is done. He was blessed to get two. One is as a teller at Wells Fargo, and the other is as a counselor at a non profit called Colored Country Community Housing. He works 25 hours a week at the first, 20 at the second, and still teaches a class and some other things for the USU extension. He is a busy guy!

Good news tidbit #2: Ethan is sleeping on a toddler bed!
I wanted to have Ethan used to sleeping on a bed before the baby came, and expected it to be a difficult transition. I imagined to myself the extreme sleep deprivation that occurs with a newborn getting up every few hours being compounded by a toddler who is now sleeping on a bed that he can get out of. The very first day that we had the bed (thanks Anjanae!) Ethan played on it most of the day. When bedtime came Marc suggested that we have him sleep on it, that Ethan seemed to want to sleep on it. I was pretty nervous. I didn't think that he was ready. Marc was right. He slept on it all night without getting up or falling off, and has ever since! It is SUCH a relief to have that out of the way.

Good news tidbit #3: My brother put in his mission papers!
It is so surreal that my baby brother, who is 7 years younger, is going to go on a mission. I can't believe that he is that old! He should have his call in a couple of weeks, but I haven't speculated about where he will go. There are just so many missions in the world now, it could be anywhere. I am excited for him because I know that he will be a good missionary. He is such a solid, faithful person. I love him so much!

In other news, my belly continues to grow with the baby. We are so excited to have another person in our family! I truly don't mind being pregnant, no matter how big and uncomfortable I get. I just get excited when I think of my sweet Eli coming along. I just love my boys!

Well, TTFN, hopefully I will post again really soon.

Introducing baby #2!

It's a...........................................

BOY!!!!

He was nice enough to stay still so we could get a good look between the legs. Very different from his older brother. At the end when we wanted to get a 3D image, he decided that enough was enough. He was wiggling and kicking, tossing and turning. What a stinker! Finally, we got this hard to decipher shot of him with a hand in his mouth.

It is exciting to be having another boy. We already have a name picked out: Eli. As my mother-in-law Korinne said "sticking with the vowels are we?" I promise that we aren't choosing this name to make life hard, though it gets tricky with an Ethan, Aiden, and Ian already in the cousin name pool.

I hope that my boys will be friends........someday. I am sure that Ethan will not like the fact that he has to share the attention around here. He really is king right now. I will try to prepare him as much as I can, but he will only be 2 when Eli comes. I'm sure that it will be a shock to his world either way.

Woohoo look at me! A post two days in a row!

Post Deprivation

My last post was in May. I visit my blog often for the links to other blogs I want to read. Each time, I feel this guilty twinge about not posting. I justifiably say, "I just don't have time to post. There is just way too much I have to catch up on. It is waaaayyy too overwhelming."

Ok, Ok, I know that this it is completely ridiculous.

The truth is, I do have some time, which I choose to use reading other people's blogs and a myriad of other things online. Basically, I waste my time much too often. I want to stop doing that, so I have kind of made it a goal of mine this year.

IT WILL BE DIFFICULT.

So, in an effort to keep myself accountable, I am promising the world out there in general that I will blog once a week. That is, until the arrival of my second child. It will get dicey again at that point, but I will do my best. I have no delusions of a large, loyal following of readers to this blog. If I have any followers, they have probably given up by now after months of post deprivation. So will pretend that you are there, and maybe a few of you will be.

The next question is, how on earth can I ever catch up on all that has happened since May? I have decided that is best for my sanity that I don't try. I will however abbreviate the two important thing in my continuing saga. (Can I say saga? Is my life that epic? Perhaps it can be once I stop wasting my time and start doing interesting things)

1. We moved to St. George!

What a great decision that was! I love it down here. We are enjoying wonderful weather, 50s, in January! We have a nice apartment for cheap, though with a few interesting neighbors. We have a great ward with a lot of friendly people in it. Part of enjoying the ward is that Ethan is in nursery now, which makes meeting and talking to people a lot easier. Marc is loving his internship. He even has some leads for jobs already! I have high hopes for us staying here.

2. We are having another baby! The due date is June 12th. I guess that is our favorite month in this family. Ethan's birthday is June 20th and our anniversary is June 28th. I told Marc that our next baby needs to be born in a different month, June is too full! Tomorrow is our ultrasound, so tune in for the news about the gender.

I think I will end with one last thing. I need to inform you all that I have the cutest son imaginable. It's official.

Even when he is naughty.

Milestones

Today I have a lot on my mind. There are so many milestones in my view right now. I thought I would share them with you. I love lists, so that is what you get.

#1: My parents are celebrating 28 years of marriage. I love them so much! I am so proud to call them my parents. They have been such a good example to me of what a happy marriage looks like. I have seen good and bad, but mostly good. They are loving and supportive of each other and do their best to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you mom and dad!

#2: Marc and I's 2nd anniversary is approaching. We really have grown and changed so much in that time. there have been many hard times, but a lot of good times. I sometimes wonder how we ever got along without each other. We are a great team. I look forward to the future together.

#3: Ethan turns 1 on June 20th! I can hardly believe my baby is growing so fast! He is such a joy in our home, even when he is in mischief! He is so beautiful and smart. I don't see how I could ever think otherwise. I love being Ethan's mom!

#4: Marc graduates in a year. The end is coming fast. He has one semester left here in Logan, then another for his internship in St. George. It will be so nice to be done with school. I am counting down, seriously.

#5: My brother Willie graduated from high school this week. Congrats bro! I can't believe he is that old! It is so crazy. He is 7 years younger than me. He is the last child, so my parents are going to enter a new phase of life. After this summer they won't have any kids living at home, at least until next summer. ;) It is strange to think of them as empty-nesters. My dad will need a hobby, though I'm sure my mom has plenty to do. :)

Life moves so fast these days. Things really took off once I got married, and I am sure that they won't slow down for a long time. These milestones remind me that I need to find joy in each day, each moment, because everything is brief, but important.

Procrastination, again

I'm not sure many people read this blog anymore, since I hardly ever post. I keep finding excuses even when Ethan is sleeping. I will be completely honest. I have mostly used my blog to keep up with everyone else's. It is easy to just click the link on the side of my blog page to get there. At least I know what everyone else is doing, right? Not that it makes up for me not posting.

Ok, ok. So I suppose I should say what I have been doing. Here is a concise list for your convenience:

1. I have been pretty busy following after Ethan, who crawls everywhere, climbs stairs, and puts everything in his mouth.

2. We moved to a new apartment on April 1st, which we LOVE.

3. We have made two trips to Manti two weeks in a row, for family events.

4.We have bought plant starts for our garden, though we can't plant them outside until the weather makes up its mind that it is spring now.

5. Ethan had pneumonia and is just getting back to himself.

6. Marc is finishing up the semester and gearing up for working full time during the summer.

So I will try, try, again to keep up. REALLY.

Loooooong time

Well folks, it has been a long time since I posted last. Besides all that has been happening, Ethan is getting more active and I have been feeling tired. I have also been intimidated every time I think of posting because it has been so long. Ironic, no?

One thing that has been really difficult for me lately has been my energy level. I have been so tired, and now we know why. I have an extreme hypo thyroid. I kind of knew this already, since I was slightly so through my pregnancy, enough that I had been on a low dose of medication for it. After I had Ethan Medicaid ended and I couldn't afford to go to a doctor to continue with medication. I had thought that it was no big deal since I was on the lowest dose possible for this particular medication. Yet over time my thyroid has been getting worse without me realizing it. Lately my symptoms have worsened: I have been tired, yet unable to sleep well, experiencing mood swings, had very dry skin, been very sensitive to cold, and even gained some weight. Combine this with winter weather and yucky inversion air that keeps me indoors and I have been really down. I have struggled doing anything outside of keeping the three of us fed, in clean clothes and in a clean apartment. I sometimes even struggled with that.

Marc has been very patient with me through this, but has been getting more and more concerned about my moods. He finally convinced me to go to a doctor and have my blood tested. I am now taking 100 milligrams of synthroid instead of the 25 I was taking before. A BIG difference! I have only been taking it for a little more than a week, but I am already seeing results. The haze is beginning to lift and I feel like I'm becoming myself again.

This means so many things. I will be able to accomplish more and feel happier. I may even be able to keep up with this blog, but only time will tell.

Recent Shenangigans of Ethan and His First Christmas

Ethan, being the great son that he his, took it upon himself to personally inspect each and every light bulb for mommy's Christmas tree!

He says, "hmm....I'm not sure what to think about this spoon-feeding thing..."

Looks like he really likes it!

This is Ethan really enjoying his new bathtub ducky!

Here is Ethan with his cousin, Fallyn Fuentes, on Thanksgiving at grandpa and grandma Fuentes' home in Manti. So cute!